MATTEO'S POV
"Come here, pretty boy" Britney, one of the call girls latched unto me the moment I stepped into Dante's club. Her fingers curled around my arm, and before I could even process what was happening, she was dragging me deeper into the chaotic heartbeat of the club. The air was immediately thick and it swallowed me, soon enough I was flanked with the mixture of booze, cigarette smoke and loud music. I could feel the buzz roaring in my veins, threatening to engulf me in its heat and I was ready to allow it.
It wasn't my first rodeo with Britney, wild blue eyes and blonde, dressed in the skimpiest clothes that was barely covering anything, and I could feel the slight brush of her nipples on my finger as she leaned in close, her lips tingles against my ears as she whispered something, her breath hot and sticky and I could barely hear anything with the thumping music.
Before I knew it, she pushed me into a chair in a shadowy corner, her body pressing against mine, grinding with a kind of urgency that felt almost violent but seductive still and then she placed her lips seamlessly on mine, her tongue invading my mouth as she slipped an already melting pill through, I welcomed it by sucking whatever residue was left on her tongue, the sharp, bitter taste hit the back of my throat, and I swallowed reflexively. – like I said, this wasn't my first rodeo with Britney.
The effect was immediate-like a jolt to my system, the edges of reality already blurring and twisting. The blinking lights seemed even more intense, the music louder and every part of my skin that Britney touched burned like a hot plate – searing hot and sharp but still it felt different from the brush of Helena's skin against mine. The drug hit me hard, sending waves of heat and dizziness through my body. My mind buzzed with the high, everything swirling in a kaleidoscope of sensations, but through all of it, one thing remained clear, cutting through the haze like a knife.
Helena
Why the hell was she still on my mind? Even with a girl grinding on me, her body pressed so tight against mine that I could barely breathe, Helena stayed glued to my thoughts. I couldn't shake her-couldn't understand why she was creeping into every corner of my brain lately. She was Dante's. I knew that. I should know better.
But something about the way she danced that day had made it impossible to look away, like she was haunting me with her moves, forcing my eyes to stay fixed on her. The way she moved, her grace, that fire behind her eyes. Even now, as the drug took full control, she was there, at the forefront of my thoughts, casting a shadow over everything else.
I barely registered the girl's soft kiss on my lips, her mouth trailing down to my neck, then to my ear, her breath hot and wet against my skin.
And then my phone rang.
The sound cut through the haze, snapping me back to some semblance of reality. I groaned, pulling the phone from my pocket, seeing Gianna's name flashing on the screen. Of course, it was her. What did she want again?
I pushed the girl off me, standing up on shaky legs. The drug still coursed through my veins, making the world tilt and spin. I shoved my way out of the club, the cool night air hitting me like a slap to the face, but it did nothing to clear the fog in my head.
"I'm coming back" she said in my ears before I had the chance to say anything and I ran my hands through my hair. I had always been close to Gianna, but in an elder sister kind of way, she looked out for me and even in New York, several times I rode on her B list celebrity status.
"Okay" I said tiredly and there was a pause from her end before she spoke with a slightly frustrated hint.
"You can't tell Dante anything yet, it's going to be a surprise"
I chuckled "Well, if anybody is getting surprised, it's going to be you"
"What do you mean?"
"Dante is engaged – to his ex wife" I added the last part for a dramatic effect but Gianna's silence echoing back at me was all the reaction I needed
"Helena – how? I thought she moved to Paris?" she asked.
"Well, she's back now obviously and – taken your place"
Silence again, then her voice sparked in that sugary buttery voice she used when she needed something and I could sense a request coming through.
"You're going to get rid of her for me Matteo, aren't you?"
I smirked to myself, shifting the phone to my other hand so I could bring out a cigarette and light it, letting the nicotine flow through my veins and I spoke "You're such a sweet talker aren't you Gianna – "
"There's some information" her voice cut through immediately, I could hear the clinking of glass and I could imagine her taking a delicate sip of red wine, her red lipstick always staining the glass as if to assert dominance but in a shrewd way.
"Dante knows some secrets and he told me, one that you'd be dying to know – and you know I'm not bluffing" she added just before I was going question her authenticity.
"Information that would get you everything you need Matteo, and you know exactly what I'm talking about, get rid of her and it's all your yours"
I sighed, some new energy buzzing through me and I said "You're just in luck, I was beginning to fall for her"